All year round
by cloudsallaround
Summary: COMPLETE Four seasons, four encounters with a certain taiyoukai. SesshxKagome
1. Spring

_Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha or any of it's characters or anything like that :O Damn it! Give me my foolish hope back!  
Pairing: Eventual Sesshoumaru/Kagome  
Words: 1,246  
_

**Chapter one; Spring**

* * *

_Spring.. The first season of the year. The season of new beginnings. The season of love.. or so they say._

_To be honest, I didn't quite believe it, since in none of the springs -or any other spring, if you didn't count that time in kindergarten a boy gave me a flower he had plucked on the spot, because there wasn't really anything romantic about that..- I traveled to and fro the Feudal Era, I was confessed to._

_Not by any of the young men from Kaede-baachan's village -or any other village for that matter-._

_Not by Miroku-sama -not that I'd want him to, the dirty minded monk, since he already has Sango... sort of. Oh well, I could always try to get them together and blame Spring if it works, for even though I don't believe in it's 'power', maybe they do-_

_Not by Houjo-kun, but that wasn't really his fault, because if he wanted to do it, I didn't give him the chance, since I rarely see him, and when I see him, I'll always make up some excuse to get away._

_Not by Inu Yasha -though he probably wouldn't do it anyway, no matter what season-. Besides, I doubt he even know what Valentine's day __**is**__!_

_This would deny Spring's powers the most, since, when you're in love, you want to get confessed to and get loved by the one you love, right? And __if__Spring's 'power' were real, it __should__ happen during the months of Spring, right?_

It was then that Kagome decided to temporarily stop her philosophical -and slightly depressing- thoughts. She had enough to worry about without her strange ramblings anyway.

_Like when or where we'll find another jewel shard, or when I'll make my long neglected, enormous pile of homework, or __how__I'm going to get an acceptable score for that upcoming math test when I barely even understand the title of the chapter! Or whether or not, and if so, when, I'll confess to Inu Yasha that the 'snacks' I gave him were actually cat treats, since the dog treats I've secretly been giving him were miraculously sold out. _At this, Kagome gave a mental snicker. _He always thought they just normal cookies!_

"Kagome-chan, are you alright? You've been... spacing out for the past five minutes." Sango said, slightly struggling with the phrase the time-traveling miko had taught her, startling said miko out of her thoughts, who had unknowingly started drifting off topic.. again.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Kagome replied lazily, "just.. thinking, I guess." she added after a while.

_Or if I'd buy the dog-shaped keychain -to please Inu Yasha-, or the cat-shaped one -for Buyo-._ Not wanting to give the one the feeling thatshe favored the other, she was in quite the dilemma. _Of course, I could always just buy the fox-shaped one that looked almost exactly like Shippou-chan, and act like the canine and feline had nothing to do with it._

"By the way, Sango, why don't I hear Inu Yasha telling us to get up -yet-?" Kagome interrupted her thoughts yet again, not really knowing whether she had said 'yet' or not. "You know," she glanced up at the sky, "it's already..." another look, she really needed to refine her 'check-the-time-by-looking-into-the-sky' skills! "It's 8 o'clock, at the least!"

"Err.. that is.. well.." Sango stuttered, "Kikyou is close by, so he's off to ..visit her" she then admitted.

''Mm, I got it.." Kagome absently answered, all the while thinking if Kikyou's clay body would become all soft and muddy if she'd dump a bucket of water on her, and if so, whether she'd flatten her nose or her ears -or both, if possible-, just to make the perfect clay pot less perfect.

_Now I only have to choose between the cat-shaped one and the fox-shaped one, since there's no way in hell -or any other place for that matter- that I'm going to buy the dog-shaped one.._

**As you may see, our favorite miko has drifted back to her previous stream of thoughts, so we'll just wait for a while.**

"Hentai!!" is suddenly screamed by none other than our also favorite taijiya, and a loud slap follows the scream, sounding through the whole village and maybe even further, and when Kagome half-opens her eyes, which she had closed while thinking on her current problem, the first thing she sees is a in purple-clad monk, lying one the ground, with a red hand-shaped print on his cheek, which will most definitely sting later that day, who was mumbling only partly coherent things. She listens closely and giggles when she hears one particular sentence.

"That was **so **worth it.." the monk whispers before he passes out

**

* * *

**Kagome climbed out of the well. She's been given a week to make some 'very important tests' that may have been there, but maybe not -at this thought, Kagome gave a mental grin-.

It was now the 17th of March, a few days after White Day.

_Three.. two.. one.. and up! _Kagome thought while jumping the last bit out of the well.

_Hn? Inu Yahsa's not here yet, so I guess I'm a bit early.. Well better for ,me! Now I can eat my chocolate in peace! The chocolate I.. bought myself.. ._

Kagome sighed at the memory of Valentine's day and the reason for her lack of given chocolate. Houjo-kun had given her some creme for her feet, for it seemed that she had an illness in her feet that'll spread untill her whole body would be covered in warts if it wasn't treated in an early stage _-Jii-chan, what were you _thinking_?!-_.Her mother and Jii-chan had given her a little box, but Souta had given her the biggest puppy-eyes ever seen -on a human face, anyway-, so she herself had picked two pieces out of the boz and had given the rest to her now beaming brother. She had merely smiled softly at him and had walked out of the house to buy a chocolate box herself, completely missing the devious smirk that had replaced her brothers' previously happy, almost -_almost_- innocent expression.

_But the reason I'm not sharing this box has nothing to do with that, though. Nope, not at all.. Well, maybe a little. But! My main reason is that.. okay, maybe I just want a box for myself, you know, some quality time alone? Don't misunderstand, I love my friends, but some Kagome-only time is appreciated as well! _And because of this, Kagome was eating it here, on the rim of the well, alone.

..That is, until something happens, as it always does, since the time-travelling miko wasn't allowed some nice, quiet moment for herself, like, **ever**. This 'something' was a gust of wind. Normally this woudn't be strange, but it was accompanied by the disappearance of a single chocolate _-Damn! I was looking forward to eating that one!- _

This left Kagome contemplating about what happened, until she -finally- noticed something. She smiled softly while walking over to the edges of Inu Yasha's forest. Once she was near one particular tree, she sat down. Giving a polite grin to the companion sitting across from her, she asked.

"Care for another one, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

* * *

A/N: wow. It's finally done! Because it's summer vacation now, I might write chapter two, but it might take a while, depends on whether or not this story gets reviewed.. I didn't really know anything better then the 'finally noticing' thing, because I didn't want to do something like 'she sensed a familiar aura/youki/whatever you want', because that would kinda give it away.. though you already know the pairing at the beginning-.-' PS;  
This'll be a four-shot, but not per se linked to each other, but I'll figure that out later ;) Please, _please_ R&R!


	2. Summer

_Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its contents.  
Words: 2.397  
Pairing: **S**esshoumaru/**K**agome_

_Wordlist  
Jinja – Shinto-shrine  
Goshintai – building on the shrine grounds where the local god resides  
Shamusho – those that tend to the shrine  
Ojii-chan – way to refer to your grandfather, but can also be used to address a random old man  
Arigatou gozaimasu – polite way to say 'thank you'  
Miko – priestess  
Youkai – demon  
-sama – respecting honorific, lord/lady_

**Chapter two; Summer**

**X**

_Summer. Of the whole year, this is probably the one that people look forward to the most. Warmth –er, make that heat-, ice-cream, vacation and lazing around on the beach. I, on the other hand, was having quite a different experience this year. Instead of all above-mentioned luxuries, I sweated through forests, fields, villages, you name it. I dragged myself through every possible place.. that did _not _have ice-cream, and did _not _have showers –if you didn't count the rivers and waterfalls-, and did –and this might even be the worst part- _not _have mosquito repellents. But you know what? All those places? They _did _have mosquitoes. Hoards of them._

Kagome took a swig of her water bottle, and groaned a futile complaint against the heat.  
_Why was it so hot!!? _If it wasn't for her limited water supply, she would've dumped the bottle's contents over her head if it'd cool her down. Scratching at one of her many mosquito bites –though she had been told not to-, she cursed the little buzzing things, and silently cursed Inu Yasha, too, for telling her not to use the bug spray she'd brought because it made his nose sting.

She slowly walked to -_if she was going the good way, she had been quite doubtful about the last turn- _a small _jinja_ that she and the rest of the group had discovered a while back on one of their journeys back to Kaede's village. It was not tended to, but it still looked nice enough to sit and eat and talk about a thousand-and-one things. And the most important thing at the moment: _it had shade! _The trees seemed to –in her eyes, anyway- lean away from her to give the sun free way in scorching her, and she glared very un-impressively at them.

Kagome had asked the rest to stay behind at the village today, and the little fox-kit had pouted and cried a bit, but who doesn't lighten up at the promise of chocolate and other sweet goodness? So he, too, had complied to her request and she was off -waved out by the grumbling of Inuyasha, who had been 'convinced' to leave her alone for a bit by the floor, that always seemed happy to see his face planted in it again-, armed with her, a water bottle and a basket, filled with treats.

'Ah! Found it!' Kagome cheered, happy that she _had_ taken the good turn. Before her was a picturesque little shrine. It hadn't grown anymore grand since she'd last visited it, but it was still charming. Kagome ran the last bit, rushed to open the miraculously still intact –with animals and youkai running around, it was a wonder the place wasn't wrecked yet- shoji screen, and sighed blissfully once she had fully lowered herself on the cool wood inside. _Ahh! _She thought happily, _Finally! Cooling! _

After a few minutes of well-deserved rest, she sat up and patted the basket that she had carelessly dropped on the wooden floor.  
"Let's look for the _goshintai_, I'm pretty sure I saw it earlier.." Kagome muttered, as she walked out again and squeezed her eyes shut against the sun, not used to the fierce light anymore after her rest in the fairly dark room earlier. _Eh.. let's see, I think I'm at the house for the shamusho right now, so it must be close by, right? _She thought, orientating herself. _Ah, you can just see it over there! _She softly chuckled at herself for not seeing it earlier, hopped down the small stairs and headed to the _goshintai._

Shortly after, she arrived.  
Her eyes softened, and placed the basket unto the small altar. Inside were her grandfather's favorite treats, a bouquet of Madonna irises –his favorite flowers-, one of his creepy historical artifacts –'_Come on Kagome! Take it! This dried frog leg brings good luck!'_ she could still hear him say- and one of his most treasured cd's –Kagome figured it couldn't hurt to bring it; if people ever found it before its time, it'd only be a disc, right?-. _Here you go, Ojii-chan. _She thought gently, as she removed the bouquet from the basket and arranged it on the stone altar that for some reason, felt warm and gentle to the touch.

She gracelessly dropped herself on the floor and rested her weight on her hands, slightly leaning backwards.

She smiled. Her grandfather would've wanted it like this. He had died mere weeks ago, and although there had been a formal funeral back at home, she knew her grandfather had always dreamed of seeing the Sengoku Jidai. Though it was impossible –especially now- to bring him here, Kagome had instead brought things that represented him, so maybe he'd know what it was like, five-hundred years ago.

Relaxing, Kagome closed her eyes, and didn't even notice a few lone tears starting to slide down her cheeks.

Suddenly, the sliding door opened.

**X**

Sesshoumaru ran trough the woods at an invisible pace, swiftly avoiding the trees that one any less than him would crash into at the speed he was going.

Suddenly, a scent wafted to him. As he slowed ever so slightly, he concentrated. _Who does that scent belong to? _He thought. _It is familiar, but this Sesshoumaru does not know from where he knows it.. _It was definitely human though, that much was sure. The hallmarking fragrance of dwindling life –and let's not forget sweat, though that was unfortunately _not _dwindling- was steadily intertwined with the rest of the scent.

Also, he smelled pure magic. _A miko then, _he thought, tilting his eyebrow, _when have I ever let a miko live, or even bothered to remember her scent? _Apart from the human and magical fragrances, there was one part left; the individual. This identified one nameless, faceless person of the other, be it man or women, child or adult, human or youkai.

_Wait. I know this scent. That infuriating, _loud _miko. It's Inuyasha's wench! _

Sesshoumaru made a sharp turn to follow the scent, contemplating whether to kill her off and present her dead body to Inuyasha or present her to Inuyasha and _then _kill her.

Not even two minutes later his vision met a small, unremarkable shrine, with lingering traces of her scent all over the grounds. No matter though, he effortlessly picked out her current position and stalked towards it.

Standing in front of the _goshintai_, he slid open the door in one, fluid motion.

**X**

Kagome lazily peeked out of one open eye.

Boots. White hakama. -_Uh-oh- _Dark armor. White haori with red accents. Yellow obi. -_It could still be someone else! _She unsuccessfully tried to calm herself- Fluffy thing. –_shit. Still, what _is _that thing?- _A flick of her eyes, now both wide open, to the sides of his face; pointed ears. And staring, golden eyes.

_Staring at her._

Letting out a squeaked "Sesshoumaru!", Kagome scrambled to a standing position and took some cautious steps away from him, all the while waving her hands in front of her face, unknowingly rubbing the few tears off her face.

_And away from the door! Very, very smart Kagome! _She was dead. She was going to die here and now and animals would eat her flesh and her bones will be found later and there'll be a documentary about it on Discovery Channel and her family would watch the assuming sketch of her face and find out where she had been all that time!

When death didn't come in the form of green, burning poison in the next few seconds, she looked up. Unexpectedly –well, she _had _thought he'd kill her on sight!- he was still staring at her. And for some reason, it pissed her off.

And then she did something very, very stupid: she gathered her courage and bit out a "_What?_"

**X**

Sesshoumaru had not expected the tears.  
He did not even understand how he hadn't smelled them in the first place, but now that he was aware of them, the salt stench of it was annoyingly pungent in the air.

For some reason, he found they didn't suit her. And for some other reason –or maybe, just maybe, it was the same-, he wanted to keep her alive.

He was brought out of his surprise, however slight it had been- by the tiniest rustle of hair; she had lifted her head.

"_What?_" he heard her say daringly, if not foolishly.

You may be able to imagine the startle Sesshoumaru received because of a human talking to him like that.

Her disrespect for his great being did not please him in the least, he had already promised himself not to kill her, and because the mighty Taiyoukai of the Western Lands did not break his promises, he didn't. Instead, he decided to inquire as to what the hell she was doing in the middle of a forest, alone.

"Miko," he tried to make the title more pleasant by minutely dip his head in greeting, "This Sesshoumaru wants to know what you are doing here." He then aloofly stated.

Inwardly, he allowed himself the Sesshoumaru equivalent of a grin.  
That he was being _pleasant_, didn't mean he had to _ask_, though.

**X**

Kagome couldn't believe it.

One, he hadn't killed her the minute he saw her.  
Two, he hadn't killed her for snapping at him.  
Three, he sort of asked! Sort of being the keyword, but in situations like this, you need to see everything in a positive light, Kagome decided. After all; if a situation seems hopeless, and you yourself get hopeless, would there be a way out? _No. _

She gathered herself, as he had obviously –or actually, not so obviously- asked her a question.  
She turned her head to the altar, where the basket and flowers lay in all their glory.

"I was.. I was here for my grandfather," she said softly, but he heard it anyway. She did not know how to explain what she was doing; she wasn't bringing an offer, and she wasn't visiting, either. "He died some time ago, so I brought some of his things here, because I think he'd like it here." She elaborated, answering his questioning –that seemed suspiciously laced with a promise of death and/or torture were she not to answer, in her eyes- look.

When silence met her words, she thought herself safe enough to leave, and bowed to him –just for safety; after all, everyone knows Sesshoumaru likes to respected, right?-. "Well then, Sesshoumaru-sama, it was…. _nice_ to see you, but I have to go again, okay?" because maybe it hadn't been exactly _nice, _it hadn't been _not nice_ either.

She started to shuffle towards the door, planning to breeze past him and get her ass to camp.  
She didn't actually want to leave, because she _had _come here with a reason, but a healthy attachment to life usually makes you get away from danger as soon as possible.

_But _is _he really all that dangerous? _Something in her head asked her.  
_Of course he is! _She huffed back to… herself. _He tried to kill me! Twice! And he tried to kill Inuyasha! ..More than twice!  
__And? Didn't he save you, too? Helped out in battles?  
__But he--!_

"Miko."  
She froze, and looked at him. There was a barely-there emotion in his eyes that she couldn't quite identify. The category it belonged it though, she hadn't expected. It wasn't contempt. It wasn't annoyance. It wasn't quite pity either; it seemed to be.. _understanding_.

Once again, he dipped his head, this time to the altar –_could it be—in respect? _Kagome thought bewilderedly-, his eyes still trained on hers.

"This Sesshoumaru.. feels sorry for your loss." Though he had said in that everyday, emotionless voice of his, Kagome felt that hadn't felt easy saying it.

Kagome stared at him –in a manner that resembled a gaping fish-, before she caught herself, and smiled at him, her plans to leave forgotten.

After all, if he felt sympathy for her –because she was now sure that was what she had seen in his eyes-, he couldn't be more than misunderstood, cuddly overgrown dog with sharp claws, could he?

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Sesshoumaru-sama," she too, bowed her head.

**X**

Was he getting _soft_?  
First, he hadn't killed the girl, and now, he was paying his _respects _to her and her family? And why did he feel like _smiling_? And why didn't it disgust him as much as it should have? And why didn't it disgust him _at all?  
_He should've just left the girl alone. Which was exactly what he was going to do. Without reacting on her words, he turned around, starting to step outside when her voice called out to him.

**X**

She fought the urge to frown.  
Had she done something wrong? After all, she had made a correct bow –a brief interest in manners (in which she had annoyed her family to death with endless 'sirs' and curtsies) had learned her this-, and she had spoken politely; so what could bother him enough to leave?

She should be glad, but she _wasn't_.

So she, too, stepped forward and called out, "Uhm..! Sesshoumaru-sama!"  
He turned around to meet her eyes, "what is it, miko?" he asked.  
"..you can stay here, if you want." Kagome mumbled, before catching herself, "Of course, you may decide for yourself! I obviously can't force you to stay or go! But.. I'd like it if you'd stay." She finished, wondering what the _heck _her mouth was doing. It was plotting against her! Plotting! Together with those dratted legs of hers, for walking towards him just now!

However, she forgot all about plotting mouths and conspiring legs, as said mouth fell open and her eyes widened. She wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming this; however slightly, she'd _swear _Sesshoumaru had the tiniest little barely-there smile on his face. Yes, _that_ subtle, but to her, absolutely over-obviously there.

Kagome noticed, flabbergasted, that his eyes seemed to have warmed over; to have shed a layer of ice, and that his almost non-existent smile was still there, telling her it was _real _(or a long-term hallucination, but she just.. that just wasn't.), as he stepped forward.

"This Sesshoumaru would like to stay, too," he said, and she heard amusement and something else resounding in his voice, "_Kagome_."

And he stayed.

(_and he stayed forever)_

**X**

**A/N  
**Whee! Quick update! Only.. a bit more than 9 months later :D I feel lazy and failed _"  
This doesn't have much to do with summer, and I intended to do something with obon, but it didn't work out. :P Well, I don't really care. So sorry. :3 You may see the very last sentence as part of the fic, or just an extra comment; I see it as both :3

As you may or may not have noticed, I put the all Japanese words in _italics_, except for the titles, like miko etc… this is for the simple reason that I can.

..okay, I don't _really_ havea reason, but it looked better.

And YEAH. I've got three reviews! I feel so loved :)  
**Stacerue**: Thank you very much for helping me :D I always forget White Day for some reason! I corrected it~  
**KANYONKHAOS**: I decided it'll be unlinked one-shots, so unfortunately there'll be no 'let's see what happens', but rather 'let's see what happens in the next season!' :P  
**Sunkissedkelsey: **Thank you! I'm glad you liked it :)

Well then, please **R&R** *bows* It only has to take half a minute, but it urges me and all other writers to write that new chapter :)  
..and I'll try to update a little faster next time -.-'


	3. Autumn

_Words; _1,123_  
Type; _one-shot  
_Pairing; _SesshoumaruxKagome  
_Disclaimer;_ I do not own Inu Yasha or any of it's contents  
_A/N;_ Tadah! I hate Summer, but I figured I'd finish this first, before I start rewriting things.. As always, I'd love to hear your opinions, everyone! And if you notice I haven't got that starting thingy with the season this time; I didn't want to write one, the first two times (Spring and Winter) were fun and easy to write, Summer was stupid, and now I don't want to anymore xD Winter will probably have one though, if I can find the file.  
P.s.; heehee, playful Sesshoumaru *giggle*  
**Much thanks to Arc-an Angel for the review :)**

_Wordlist;  
_Obaa-chan; grandma  
Ojisan; uncle  
-nii; brother  
Okaa-san; mom  
Otou-san; dad  
-chan; usually used for girls, but in this case, it's used for some sort of pet name.  
Un; yeah  
Miko; Priestess  
O-fuda; talisman issued by Shinto shrines  
Kami; God

_Note: the words on the list above are translated to fit this story. I am aware that there can be more translations than the one you see, but they're not important for now! :3_

**Autumn**

**X**

"Hurry up! We're going to be late! Obaa-chan and Souta-ojisan are waiting!" a child, eight years old –or, eight-and-a-half, as she herself insisted- shouted impatiently from the door way, all ready to go with rain boots and matching coat on, with a cheerfully-colored umbrella in hand.

"I'll be just a minute! Hi-chan, can you go and leave with your sister already, please?" a feminine voice, though with a cheery, almost childlike tilt, called back from upstairs, "I can't find my good skirt!"

A grumbling twelve-year-old, clad in a dark jacket with a hoodie attached, took his sisters hand.

"Don't call me that!" he told his mother, a bit irritated, "Let's go, Ami." He said simply, as he tugged her hand.

The little girl smiled brightly at the sight of her brother.  
"Un! Let's go, Hikaru-nii!" she said happily as her big brother helped her unfold her umbrella, and skipped to the garden-gate.

"We're off, okaa-san, otou-san!" he called over his shoulder as they left, his short white-silver hair disappearing as he one-handedly pulled his hoodie over his head.  
"Got it, see you in a bit! Don't forget your umbrella, Hi-chan!"  
"Don't need one! And don't call me that!"

Behind the hedge, a happy voice could be heard chattering to her brother.

"Do you think grandma will like the picture I made her? You know, that when it's raining, the gods are sad? Great-grandfather told me so! Great-grandfather is _sooooo _old, don't you think? He's not as old as that big tree, though. What was it called again? Oh yeah, the Goshinboku! It's sounds so.. _magical_, doesn't it? Great-grandfather said he wanted to teach me archery, but he can't anymore, because he's too old. Do you think I can become the miko of the shrine, later when I'm all grown up? Hey, what do you think of--"

Hikaru tugged her tall, brown braid, "Ami, please, _shut up_."

**X**

A pretty woman in her early thirties stumbled around the room, hurriedly rummaging in her drawers.

"Where is that..?"

Finally locating what she was looking for, she gave a small triumphant shout before putting on a flowing, shimmering skirt. It was one of the only things in her closet that was remotely stylish, and she wanted to make a good first impression on Souta's girlfriend, who had promised that he'd bring her to the family dinner.

Fastening her hair in a simple ponytail with a scrunchie, Kagome looked outside the window with a frown.

'_Ah, it's really pouring. I wonder if the kids're still dry?' _she thought worriedly.

Slipping into some simple but beautiful heels, she rushed downstairs.

"Easy, miko. It's not like we're _late _or anything." A smooth voice drawled from the living room, next from the hall she was currently standing in.

Kagome walked over to him and poked his head lightly, "Well, you could've actually help _searching_, you know!" she huffed, though she wasn't at all angry.

"Hn. I could've." Sesshoumaru acknowledged, as he took the hand his wife had poked him with, brought it to his mouth and kissed it softly, causing her to blush a bit.

"You always try to distract me like this!" she chided, snatching her hand back.  
"And you always react like that, making it all the more fun." He answered, an amused smirk on his face.

Kagome sighed and stretched, "Ugh, never mind. We should hurry. Want to get going, oh mighty lord?" Kagome said sarcastically as she made a mock-bow.

"This Sesshoumaru would be pleased, my dear miko." He smirked, and rose from the chair he had been sitting in.

"After all, with a bit of luck they are already busy with desert." He said half-seriously, causing Kagome to snort with laughter, "Sesshoumaru! Don't tell me you're still sore jii-chan tried to purify you!"

"I am not.. _sore _about it." He denied stoically, remembering the countless o-fuda that had been thrown to him by the old man.

"You _are_!" she gasped, before laughing, sputtering when her husband threw her coat over her head.

"Sesshoumaru!"  
"You yourself said we had to hurry, Kagome." He shot her words back at her.

"You've become more childish over the years," Kagome stated, buttoning her coat, "it makes me feel sorry for Jaken; Kami knows how long he has had to put up with you."

"Are you coming?" he asked, ignoring her remark, as he offered her a hand from the doorway, the same place their daughter had stood, not 15 minutes ago.

Kagome took his hand, stepped out of the house and locked the door, while Sesshoumaru swiftly unfolded a large umbrella and held it above their heads.

"All set!" she said cheerfully, and they started their short journey to the shrine. Because Kagome had not wanted to be too far away from her family, they had opted for a spacious house, on a 10-minute-trek for her parental residence.

"This is kind of melancholic." Kagome said.  
"Yes, just like the good old days." He stated dryly.  
"What, the ones with demons attacking us all the time or those in _this _time?" Kagome enquired.  
"All of them."  
"I guess you're right. It was quite fun actually," Kagome admitted, "I could've done without the demon slime, though." She said, as she winced, remembering the pungent smell, "No matter how good I washed, the stink wouldn't leave for _days_!"  
"This Sesshoumaru thought it made your scent quite charming." He joked lightly, and Kagome smacked his arm.  
"I don't want to hear that from _you_, of all people. Remember when you where in that enormous snake-demon's mouth and he nearly _swallowed _you? You were covered in saliva and slime from head to toe!" she told him, as she laughed at the memory.  
"Oh yes, I quite remember you laughing at me until you slipped and fell into its cadaver." He shot back, wrinkling his nose as if he could still smell it.

"Shut up and hand the umbrella over. I'm getting wet." Kagome huffed, knowing she had lost, snatched the umbrella out of his hands and ran ahead, quickly leaving him drenched.  
Sesshoumaru laughed, and shook his head, shaking water droplets out of his pristine silver hair.

"Yeah, you just laugh!" he could hear perfectly, even though she was on the other side of the street already, "Just wait until I get jii-chan's o-fuda! Hah! _Buuuurn!_" she exclaimed childishly.

Sesshoumaru just leapt up on a low wall, and took a shorter way to the shrine.

"No! Wait! Not the cat-road! Damn it, Sesshoumaru, you're a _dog_, for Kami's sake! Hey! Heeeey! Are you listening?" Kagome shouted to his retreating back.

"Hey you! Shut up! I'm trying to get my kid to sleep here!" an angry woman shouted suddenly, hanging from her window.  
"Eek! Sorry!"


	4. Winter

_Words; _1,135_  
Type; _one-shot  
_Pairing; _SesshoumaruxKagome  
_Disclaimer;_ I do not own Inu Yasha or any of it's contents  
_Wordlist;  
_Miko – priestess  
Youkai - demon  
-sama – respecting honorific, lord/lady

X

Chapter 4, Winter

X

The sound of pattering footsteps, running through the castle.  
The last strands of a girl's dark, chocolate-colored hair could be seen as it's owner had already disappeared, opting to take a turn to the left to look at the western wing.  
Heavy breathing, probably because of the lengths she had already ran, formed small, white-ish circles in the cold air.  
Running down another corridor, down the hall, left, left, right, slamming a door open and catching her breath, with a big smile decorating her features.  
"Sesshoumaru-sama! Hurry up, it's starting!"

_Winter.  
__Cold. Really cold. That was probably the most logical definition of this season. People were more likely to catch illnesses, due to their frailty and lower defense to bacteria, and walked around with stuffy noses for weeks, wrapped up in thick sweaters, coats, shawls and hats._

"What is it, miko?" a bored voice drawled. He had been working silently on a peace treaty with the southern lands, and he had been on a roll, writing down several rules and guarantees in response to the parchment the southern lord -a young bear youkai, nothing more than a cub, really- had sent him with claims, demands and promises, with a elegantly formed quill, when that noisy girl had burst into the room.

"The fireworks! You didn't forget, did you?" she asked, a shocked look on her face.

Of _course _he hadn't forgotten, she had been sure to pester him for weeks to let him allow the celebration, and then followed him around for the remaining weeks to remind him of his promise to attend.

"This Sesshoumaru did not forget, Kagome." he sighed inaudibly, making sure to she didn't see the movement, or she would doubtlessly jump around, singing that he _had _emotions! And since he _oh so obviously _had a human side, wouldn't he dance with her in the rain? He wouldn't be harmed by the little wet sky-fallen drips, but that girl would most definitely somehow catch a cold, making him -though he would never admit it (again, the utter denial of a _human side_)- worried, so he would always be careful, never showing too much enthusiasm, too much curiosity, too much anything.

"You didn't forget?" her eyes had gotten that happy gleam again, the one that made him slightly dread her next move.  
"I did not," he deadpanned, trying desperately with emotionless eyes predict her thoughts. It was always strange, that he could guess, no, _know_, what others were thinking -it also helped that he could smell their emotions-, but with her, he could smell something, but that was always there -mischievousness, playfulness, curiosity; at least those three, as far as he could identify, but many, countless many more that he just couldn't quite place_-_, so he was never sure exactly _what _she was going to do now.

Her eyes flashed happily, and he fought back -successfully, of course. He _was _the great Sesshoumaru-sama, after all- a relieved sigh; he could always read her eyes. Big, open windows to her very soul, but never betraying her exact thoughts anymore; she had learned to guard herself after several incidents regarding people manipulating her and her naivety. Still, thoughts she may guard, she could never hide her emotions, and for that he was grateful. After all, if he couldn't read her, how would he ever be prepared -if only a little bit- for her random ideas and suggestions?

"Then," and she advanced, and he could've _sworn _that there was a delighted skip in her step, "let's go!"  
And she grabbed his and tugged him from his stuffy desk to the hall in his western wing, and he let her.

_But it was also the holiday season; Christmas, New Year; it was a season to be surely filled with laughter and fun. People tended to get together more, and _my heater's broke, can I stay at your place until it's fixed? _followed by a _sure, come in, I just made some hot chocolate. _Yes, winter was also, cheesy as it always sounds, as they sing in the songs, 'the season to be jolly'. _

She ran outside, with him still dragged along, and they were joined by a bouncy young girl on their way.  
"Sesshoumaru-sama! Kagome-nee!" she squealed, and would've hugged them both had they not been running, "I've been looking all over for you two! Where were you! You were taking so long getting Sesshoumara-sama, Kagome-nee, and everyone was getting worried, so Rin volunteered to look for you!"

The older girl -her big example- laughed (a bell-like sound she also tries to make, though she never quite gets it) and patted her head with her free hand, ruffling her hair a bit before lifting it again and extending the hand to the small girl, who happily grabbed it.  
"Eheh, gomen Rin-chan, I couldn't find him, so it took a while.." the taller -though not by that much- girl apologized, and Sesshoumaru, who had just been silently dragged along, and only had to walk a bit faster than usual to keep up with the miko's running,

They arrived at the courtyard, where several of the personnel were setting up the contents of the packages, of which the little miko explained it was firework, whatever that was supposed to mean.

Sesshoumaru had caught glimpses of her the last few weeks, traveling up and down to her well, coming back with strange packages, entrusting them with great and excited gestures to some of the castle-maids whom she had befriended.

"Ah, we're here! We're at the courtyard, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Kagome smiled brightly, and Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _Of course _he knew this was the courtyard. This was his own castle! Instead, he 'hn'ed, and she seemed happy enough with that, as she happily made her way through the snow-covered yard to talk to the castle servants, releasing his hand, and Rin quickly followed her.

Soon, they were both back at his side, and Kagome's eyes swept over the working people.  
"Well then, is everybody ready?" she then called out, thrilled.  
When all answers were affirmative, she smiled brightly.  
"Then—" she fumbled a watch out of her pocket, "okay, we don't have much time left! Light everything when we're at one, please! Everybody, count down from 10! 9! 8!"  
"7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1!" it chorused everywhere around the courtyard, and at 'one', several flames appeared and lit thefuses of the firework.  
"ZERO! Everyone, happy New Year!" Kagome called as what all but one occupant of the courtyard thought to be the embodiment of color surged into the air, exploded, multiplied and took on the must amazing forms.

At his side, Kagome smiled.

"Isn't it beautiful, Sesshoumaru-sama?"  
The great lord of the west looked at her, and nodded, "Yes."

_And soon, spring will come again._

X

I FOUND IT! I finished this long ago, but then my computer crashed, and then I didn't want to write it again, and hoped I'd find it someday~ and then I found out I didn't delete the practically-finished version on my laptop! It was in my Recycle Bin all this time! And with that, it's finished! My first multi-chapter story J I'm sorry it took so freaking long to write it, because I have no other excuse than being lazy~ Then, just one more time for this fic, please R&R! *bows* If you do, you'll get cookies!  
I'll try and rewrite _summer _and _autumn _when I have the time, because I hate them~  
Now, I'm going to get some other -probablypossiblymaybe aka _real_- work done, promise.


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